Photography
Photo of the week: New Moon and a butterfly
These two photos are the same butterfly. I think I need to look it up. Whenever it settles, it closes its wings and all you can see is the very pale yellow underside. But when it’s fluttering about, the vivid yellow tops of the wngs are far more noticeable. I’d have loved to get a sharp phoo of that, but the butterfly just wasn’t cooperating.
Photo of the week July 8th Old doors and window
I took these photos in El Tablado, in the north of La Palma. I thought it would make a change fromphotos of insects.
Photos of the week: pyjama bugs on wild carrot
These really are bugs in the technical sense: they’re insects in the order Hemiptera, which are called “true bugs”, or “Chinche” in Spanish. These particular ones are pyjamas bugs (because of the stripes, I presume) Graphosoma interruptum. They’re about 12mm long. They’re all on wild carrot, Daucus carota. Most of the plants around here are going to seed now. I even found one pair mating. at least I think that’s…
Photos of the week: retama del pico
Spartocytisus supranubius or Cytisus supranubius is the broom which grows above the clouds on the peaks of La Palma and Teide. They’re coming into flower now, and I love the touches of pink before the flowers fully open. This morning I was up at the observatory to show a group around Gran Telescopio Canarias and I took the chance to photograph the broom. Somehow this turned into yet more photos…
Swaledale.
I spent the week before Easter visiting family in Swaledale. I’d forgotten how beautiful it is. The town itself is really nice, full of old buildings and charm. It also has a castle, and I ate some memorable fish and chips under the castle wall with a view of the river. Like most castles, it’s built on higher ground, so you get a great view from the Castle Walk –…